Coming to America

20 May Coming to America

Come to the World Congress of Families!
“I’m so glad I came to this conference! It’s so encouraging to see I’m not alone.” That’s the sentiment we heard over and over as we talked with people at the 2013 World Congress of Families (WCF) in Sydney, Australia. It was an amazing gathering of people from all walks of life, faith traditions, and cultural backgrounds, who all share a belief in the importance of the natural family.

We loved meeting Dr. Suja Koshy, an intelligent and gracious college professor in India, who also teaches parenting workshops. We enjoyed visiting with Duke Paul von Oldenburg of Belgium, who in his “spare time,” works as a leader in a European pro-family coalition. We were impressed by dynamic husband-and-wife teams such as Francine and Byron Pirola from Australia, and Errol and Arlene Naidoo from South Africa, who are each doing phenomenal family-strengthening work in their countries.

Now you can meet them too! For the first time ever, the world’s premier pro-family gathering is coming to the United States.

On October 23 – 27, 2015, the WCF IX will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. For many people, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and registration is now open!
Founded in 1997 by Allan C. Carlson, the World Congress of Families brings together world leaders, family scholars, lawmakers, religious leaders, advocates, and everyday people of goodwill, from all over the globe.

At a recent press conference launching the WCF IX, Dr. Carlson said, “This is a historic moment. Since our inaugural congress in Prague, we have held events in Geneva, Mexico City, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Sydney. The World Congress of Families IX in the United States will be our largest stage to date, effectively allowing scholars, religious leaders, parliamentarians, and other advocates of the natural family to meet in a rich media environment and welcome engaged and honest discussion from participants who may never otherwise have attended outside the U.S.”

United Families International is excited to be a sponsoring partner of the WCF IX, and we invite you to sign up for WCF updates and even click here to volunteer. We also invite pro-family young adults from every country to apply for a scholarship to the WCF conference!

Unfounded controversy

You may have heard that the World Congress of Families is being called a hate group by some. It is not. The WCF is not against anyone. It is simply founded on and focused on principles listed in the 1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states, “the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state.” With presentations from respected academic experts and world leaders, the World Congress of Families has always been about strengthening families in your country, your community, and your home.

Janice Crouse, the WCF IX executive director, explained to reporters at the press conference, “We are unapologetic in our support of the natural family. But that does not mean disrespect for anyone else. We are people who believe that marriage was established by God, but we are not disrespectful to anyone. We believe in free and open discussion. We believe very strongly in civil discourse.”

Dr. Crouse continued, “I have spoken at every single World Congress of Families since Geneva, and it’s interesting to me the portrayal that some people have, because that has never been a focus of the World Congress of Families. Our focus is exclusively on the natural family, and that’s what we are concerned with strengthening.

“We have seen families disintegrate, we have seen the rate of marriage decline. We have seen the rates of cohabitation and other living arrangements that have not proven through research to be the best possible way to raise children. So we want to work on those things that we can work on within our own families, and encourage other people to do that.

“We also are concerned about the culture around us. Our culture has turned very crude, and it’s almost impossible to protect your children anymore from many of the negative influences of the culture that surrounds them. We want to help families become a bulwark against many of the negative things that would destroy their children, and cause so much heartbreak within families.”

Do you want to help families become a bulwark against the negative influences that surround them? Then come to the World Congress of Families this fall.

The theme for the WCF IX is “Family: The Promise Begins with Me.” The greatest promise for the future of humanity is in the family. In other words, “strong families promise strong communities, and the promise of strong families begins with me.”

A great beginning to that promise would be to promise to attend the World Congress of Families in Salt Lake City in October! Please click here to see the exceptional lineup of speakers and entertainment, and here to register to attend.Warm Regards,